Iraq's Maliki wins largest share of votes in elections-official

BAGHDAD, May 19 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Nouri Maliki won the largest share of Iraqi parliamentary seats in last month’s national elections, according to preliminary results released on Monday.

The results dealt a blow to Shi‘ite, Sunni and Kurdish rivals seeking to prevent him serving a third term.

Maliki won at least 93 seats, far more than his two main Shi‘ite rivals, the movement of Muqtada Sadr and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, who won a combined 57 seats, according Iraq’s electoral commission. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; editing by Ralph Boulton)